The Portland daily press., 1887-06-15
CONTRACT LABoRERs.
Work and Wages on the Great Rail-
way Works.
Plenty to Eat But the Black Flies
Very BIoodthIrsty.
Law and Order Maintained at the
MuzzIe of the Revolver.
Especial to the Press.1

men needed at the wages that they are willing
to pay laborers, $1.5O day. the Canadian
contractors have been forced to scour the
whole country. There are Italians, Swedes,
Nova Scotians, Irishmen, Yankees and men
of mongrel breed from great cities. They
work in great gangs, under overseers who
will of course get all the work they can out
of them. Then there are stores established
along the works, at which the laborers must
.Juy their clothing and miscellaneous sup
plies. unless they care to go miles to settle
ment. Under these circumstances there is
OF course chance for great abuses. There
is no evidence, however, that any oppression
is practiced in this vicinity Many things
are done that are very distasteful to free
laborer, but in large crews discipline must
be enforced or disorder and great waste will
result
Many sensational reports have gone abroad
of the condition of the laborers along this
Canadian Pacific line. Climate, insects and
mankind were said to be conspiring against
them. The contractors, 1t was said, were
merciless in their treatment Of their men,
especially expressing the poor Italians. OF
so wide an area it is impossible to say that
there may not be truth In some of these
stories. But in the division around Moose
head Lake the treatment of the workmen. if
the testimony of reliable citizens can be be-
lieved, is perfectly fair. The stories of
trouble have originated largely with dissatis-
fed men (and there are always such in an
army of workingmen) who have left the
line for some reason or other. Some of the
Italians have found the black flies very
troublesome. just now these pests are re-
markably ;hck and bloodthirsty in this
region. The poor Italian who found them
too much for him, and went down through
Piscataquis county to Bangor, saying to all
who asked him about the railroad: "Hi,
hell mesquit, embodied in his remark very
graphic description of the terrors of the
black fly, which he seems to have confouud-
ed with the far more tolerable mosquito.
But after all the men are getting along very
well in spite of the black flies, which will be
gone before long. The Italians, who suffer
or helmets of thin CLOTH These helmets en-
yelope the entire heard, leaving only the eyes,
nose and mouth exposed. The picturesque
ness of such head gear was never surpassed
anywhere in the woods, and nowhere else
unless at sheet and pillow case ball. Some
black flies get dissatisfied for other
reasons, and when they leave the COM
pany or contractors have to bear the blame.
On the way up we met at a station about
fifteen miles from the foot of the Lake a woe
begone italian who was tramping South.
He had been hurt, very badly hurt he said,
and was walking to Bangor to hospital.
Sympathetic passengers declared that the
man looked pale and sick; that the contract
ors must be heartless barbarians, and ad-
mired much the courage of the italian in
starting to walk seventy miles to hospital
But generally the men are we'll pleased with
their lot
The rate of wages is s1.5o day, and $500
week Is charged for board at the camps
which are erected along the line. The men
have bill of fare that includes corned beef
two days in the week, baked beans two days,
ham and eggs every day, apple sauce, ginger
bread, and even some delcacies in the line
Of canned goods. Cooks are paid at the rate
of $65 month, and there are assistant cooks
and cookies. the latter sort of dtdes-de-
camp on the various culinary staffs.
The Italians are hired at the same rate as
the other laborers, $3.50 day, but the con-
tract is made, not with the men, but with
the italian bosses. These bosses make their
own terms with the men, and here it is that
the injustice, If any, in treatment of the
Italians comes in. Undoubtedly the bosses
make well out of their brokerage in the
labor Of their countrymen; how well it is
difficult to ascertain. Well informed men in
this region are not inclined to think that
they are extortlonate in their dealings with
the men. The commissary department of
the Italian contingent is managed somewhat
differently from that of the other workmen.
More bread, beans and macaroni are eaten,
and their cooking establishments are entirely
distinct from the establishments of the other
workmen. AT first their bread was brought
from Bangor; then it was poor in quality
and insufficient in quantity. There was al
most a famine q bread thpn THAR ahiaf
dependence. The poor fellows went long
time without food, and when they did get
supplies some ate so much that they were
dangerously sick. This, however, was be-
fore the camps were well established.
Now the organization of the work has
been perfected in preparation for the great
influx of laborers who are expected later on
in the summer. The medical staff has been
at work. from the beginning. Over the
Wnole line, from the western boundary of
perintendent,. DR.: SWEET, who graduated
from the Maine Medical School about 1880.
went west into the employ of the Canadian
Pacific, which was then building to the Pa
cine coast, and has risen to his present posi-
tlon. Under him there will be dozen or
more doctors, each with his own division.
Wherever possible, doctors living along the
line are engaged. AT Greenville, Dr. Hunt
has medical charge of division along the
lake shore to the outlet to the Kennebec. On
season for use when the work is fully under
way. On the whole, the laborers are very
well cared for, as well as could be expected
under the circumstances.
The contractors and bosses are men who
have worked along the whole line of the Ca
madam Pacific. They have system and or
ganization approved by experiences of all
kinds of laborers. The way laborers are
disciplined here on the line would astonish
Worklngmen In Portland and make the
fno tlnrf l,.ns. r.
III must be remembered that the men are
gathered from almost every nation and CITY
in Christendom. Many reckless and desper-
ate men are here. Some of the Italians are
yllialnons looking, and bear bad regulations,
while all of them are said to carry knives
Discipline among such men must be firm, ,and
the management must be careful. A general
distinction is made in laborers between Ital-
ians and white men," as they are called.
The Italians work together. and do not min
gle with the other workmen. The white
men are Swedes, Frenchmen, Irshmen,
Nova Scotians, State of Maine Yankees,-in
short, any sort of men that it has been pos
slble to get together by securing the country.
ones. In the first place this general precau-
ton Is taken: The camps of the Italians and
white men" are kept very nearly equal in
strength. The reason for this is obvious.
Neither camp will domineer over the other;
in case of an uprising in one camp the other
could probably be relied on to help preserve
law and order; the balance of power is main
tained, and this is needful to order among
the adventurerS in the Maine woods as well
as among the nations of Europe. Then in
the camps the strictest order is maintained,
and eveay precaution taken to prevent riots
The men are not allowed to wrestle, box,
loaf about or engage in any horse play. Ev-
cry boss carries a revolver at his belt, the
butt OF it kept suggestively in sight, and
armed watchmen circulate among the men
continually. Not long ago about hundred
Swedes arrived at camp near Greenville
AT supper two Of them complained of the
fare, it is said because they wanted beef
steak. However that may be, they made
such fuss that the cook sent them to the
boss. He told them that the food was good
enough, and ordered them back to their
camp. The Swedes grew angry, made
threats; and finally, saying that he could de-
fend himself, one of them reached for his
hip pocket as if to draw revolver. Instant
ly the boss shouted, 'Move so much as a
muscle and you are a dead man." The
Swede looked up and saw watchman's re-
volver all cooked. levelled at his head. He
stood m0tionless until ordered to move, and
then, still covered by the revolver, with his
companion he was marched from the works
towards Greenville. When he had taken
them some distance the watchman halted,
and sent them on, keeping his revolver on
them until they went from sight. There
was no more trouble from those Swedes.
Great care is taken to keep rum out of the
works and tha most rigid nrohihition nrp-